The California Medical Association said the discrepancy between state
and federal law created an untenable situation for physicians. The use
of marijuana for medical purposes is legal under California law, but the
drug is still classified as a Schedule I substance under federal law, a
classification reserved for dangerous drugs with no real medicinal
value.

“It’s an uncomfortable position for doctors,” said Dr. Donald
Lyman, the physician who wrote the new policy. “It is an open question
whether cannabis is useful or not. That question can only be answered
once it is legalized and more research is done. Then, and only then, can
we know what it is useful for.”

In August, the California Medical Association issued recommendations for physicians on medical marijuana, saying that the drug “may be effective for
treatment of nausea, anorexia, pain and other conditions (i.e.,
spasticity), but that more clinical research is needed regarding
specific indications, dosing, and the management of side effects.”